Cool Hand Luke is a 1967 American drama film starring Paul Newman and directed by Stuart Rosenberg. The screenplay was adapted by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson from the novel by Pearce. The film features George Kennedy, Strother Martin, J.D. Cannon, and Morgan Woodward. Newman stars in the title role as Luke, a prisoner in a Florida prison camp [1] who refuses to submit to the system. His inability to conform drives the plot of the movie, in the same vein as characters such as Winston Smith from Nineteen Eighty-Four , Randle McMurphy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , Number Six from the British television series The Prisoner (aired during the same year) and Jake Holman in The Sand Pebbles . In 2005, the United States Library of Congress deemed Cool Hand Luke to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

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Plot

Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) is sent to a Florida prison camp for cutting the heads off parking meters one drunken night. His unquenchable spirit makes the other prisoners idolize him. ^[2]

Luke becomes notorious for his escapes from prison. During the longest one, he mails the prisoners a magazine that includes a photograph of him with two beautiful women; the prisoners receive this with awe and delight. Before long, however, he is recaptured, beaten, and returned to the prison. His friends do what they can for his injuries as they express amazement at the photo. The delirious Luke admits that the picture was a fake that cost him a whole week's pay.

As he struggles to recover, Luke's will is broken in front of the other prisoners. As punishment for his escape, he is required to dig a large hole in the prison camp yard, then fill it in and repeat the process, as his comrades look on with shame. At night, an exhausted Luke collapses in his hole and begs the bosses for mercy and not to be hit again. His friends hear this and lose the last of their idealized image of him. One prisoner pulls out the magazine with Luke's picture in it and tears it up. Luke is hauled back into the bunk house, where he struggles to his bed alone.

Though broken in spirit, Luke takes one last stab at freedom when he gets the chance to steal the guards' truck. His closest associate in the prison gang, Dragline (George Kennedy), jumps in the truck with Luke and they drive off, travelling until, at night, near a church, Luke tells Dragline that they should split up. Saddened and regretful, Dragline thanks Luke as they part and Luke enters the church. Moments later, police cars arrive outside. Dragline suddenly enters and tells Luke it's over and he made a deal with the bosses that they won't hurt them if they surrender peacefully. Luke, knowing better, appears in an open window and remarks, "What we've got here is a failure to communicate," echoing the Captain's own words to Luke earlier in the film. Luke is immediately shot in the neck. A distraught Dragline hauls him outside, where he is placed in a car with orders to take him to the prison hospital, even though someone protests that it is more than an hour away and he needs immediate medical attention.

Later, Dragline and the other prisoners reminisce about Luke in the fields. Dragline describes Luke's unique smile as scenes of the protagonist flash across the screen. The final image is the now-restored picture of Luke and the two women, with the rips forming the shape of a cross, before the screen fades to black.

Cast

Paul Newman as Luke Jackson George Kennedy as Dragline J.D. Cannon as Society Red Lou Antonio as Koko Robert Drivas as Loudmouth Steve Strother Martin as Captain Jo Van Fleet as Arletta Clifton James as Carr Morgan Woodward as Boss Godfrey Luke Askew as Boss Paul Marc Cavell as Rabbitt Richard Davalos as Blind Dick

Robert Donner as Boss Shorty Warren Finnerty as Tattoo Dennis Hopper as Babalugats John McLiam as Boss Keen Wayne Rogers as Gambler Harry Dean Stanton as Tramp Charles Tyner as Boss Higgins Ralph Waite as Alibi Anthony Zerbe as Dog Boy Buck Kartalian as Dynamite Joe Don Baker as Fixer Joy Harmon as The Girl, Lucille Andre Trottier as Dog Boy 2

Cast notes:

• Although she played Luke's mother, Jo Van Fleet was only eleven years older than Paul Newman.

Reception

The movie's anti-establishment message fit well with the mood of the 1960s. ^[3] It became a critical and financial success.

Awards and honors

Cool Hand Luke won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (George Kennedy), and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Newman), Best Music, Original Music Score and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

In 2003, AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains rated Luke Jackson as the number 30 greatest hero in American Cinema, and four years later, AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies rated Cool Hand Luke number 71.

Cool Hand Luke was included in the United States National Film Registry in 2005.

Famous line

The line is frequently taken as, "What we've got here is a failure to communicate." Both are correct. This line is heard twice in the film, first in its entirety, with no "a", by the Captain (Strother Martin), and later on the first line with an "a", said by Luke.

The quote was listed at number 11 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 most memorable movie lines.

Christ parallel

Many symbolic references to Jesus Christ are made throughout the film: ^[4]

• Luke is looked upon as a leader and inspiration for the underdogs of society.
• After the egg eating contest, Luke is shown lying in a crucified position on the table.
• When Luke learns about his mother's death, he mourns by reminiscently playing his banjo and singing a song called "Plastic Jesus".
• Luke refers to God as "Old Man" when praying in the church.
• When Luke returns from his escape the other men are infatuated with his adventures outside their world. Luke tells them, "Stop feeding off me!" which is an allusion to the Eucharist. Later, a worn-out Luke is served a big helping of rice and is told by the trustee that he has to finish all of it or sleep in the box. The other men then help themselves to Luke's serving alluding to the Last Supper.
• Luke digging what was essentially his own grave mirrors Christ having to bear the weight and carry his cross.
• Luke tries to escape three times, and fails each time, before he is shot and killed. That parallels how Jesus fell three times before he was crucified and died.
• Dragline acts as an unwitting Judas when he brings the police to the church. His subsequent fight with the authorities who shoot Luke is reminiscent of Peter's altercation with those who arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
• The last shot showing the picture of Luke with the two women is taped backed together with the tears forming the shape of a cross, then superimposed over an aerial shot of rural crossroads.
• Luke is the only one of the prisoners that isn't scared of the snake in the ditch they are working in, referencing the Bible comparing the devil to a snake.

Soundtrack

The original music for Cool Hand Luke was composed by Lalo Schifrin. An edited version of the musical cue from the Tar Sequence has been used for many years as the news music package on several television stations' news programs around the world, mostly those owned and operated by ABC in the United States; this cue was first used in 1968 on WABC-TV in New York for their Eyewitness News newscast and was subsequently imported to ABC's other television properties. Nine Network's Nine News & WIN Television's WIN News in Australia and NBN Television's NBN News in Northern NSW still uses an edited version of the music. Although the music originated from this film, to this day many people associate the tune with television news as opposed to the film itself. Frank Gari, who created many News Music packages recorded an arrangement of the Tar Sequence in 1983 as News Series 2000 .

In popular culture

;Title / general

• A 1980, Saturday Night Live hosted by Strother Martin ran a skit, "Camp Beau Soleil", which was a parody of Cool Hand Luke . Strother Martin reprised his role as "Le Capitan" in a prison-like summer camp where children were sent to learn French. In the skit he repeated his famous line as "What we got here is failure to communicate bilingually." ^[5]
• The climactic scene where Luke escapes the chain gang by hijacking a dump truck and then raising the truck bed to deflect bullets shot at him by the guards is almost identical to the escape scene in the movie I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
• The 1993 Rugrats episode "Cool Hand Angelica" is a parody of the film.
• In Ed, Edd, n Eddy , in one episode, Eddy hatches a plot to escape from a day of school, with Ed, Edd, Jonny, and Plank. The title of the episode was "Cool Hand Ed".
• In the television show Moonlighting , there is a two part episode in season four titled "Cool Hand Dave". The Bruce Willis character David Addison is imprisoned in a case of mistaken identity.
• In the movie Serendipity , Jonathan names Cool Hand Luke his favorite movie, astonished that Sara had never seen it.
• In the early days of the now classic professional wrestling character "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, the wrestler declared "I feel like Cool Hand Luke," referring to his inability to "work within the system." The promo included Austin's first physical assault of WWE owner Vince McMahon, setting Austin's incredibly popular anti-authority character which continues to this day.
• In the movie Life, Claude is involved in a one sided fight with Goldmouth. This results in Claude being rendered unconscious and carried off on the shoulders of his opponent much like the fight between Luke and Dragline. Claude’s several failed attempts are also reminiscence to Luke’s constant escapes.
• In the end credits of Beethoven's Big Break , there is a fake movie poster of Cool Hand Luke shown with a Beethoven twist. It is called Drool Hand Luke in the movie credits.

;Failure to communicate

• Major Payne The main character Damon Wayans says to his ROTC Students "What we have here ladies, is a failure to communicate".
• Guns N' Roses uses the line "What we've got here is failure to communicate," in their songs "Civil War" from the album Use Your Illusion II , and "Madagascar", from their album, Chinese Democracy .
• In the NCIS episode Frame Up, Agent Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) uses the line "What we've got here is failure to communicate" after being cleared of murder charges.
• Jackie Gleason quotes the "failure to communicate" line when addressing three young men in Smokey and the Bandit .
• Kottonmouth Kings member Pakelika uses the line in the song "Murdr Murdr" from his solo album "The Smokin' Word".

;Reflective sunglasses / the man with no eyes

• In the comedy series South Park , the episode The Chicken Lover in year 2 has Cartman channeling the 'Man with no eyes' when he becomes a temporary deputy. The closeup of Cartman's face and the immortal phrase "Respect my Authoritah" are clearly a homage to Cool Hand Luke .
• In O Brother, Where Art Thou? , Sheriff Cooley wears reflective glasses very similar to those worn by Boss Godfrey, and similarly rarely speaks.
• The music video for Beck's "Where It's At" features an homage to Cool Hand Luke . The video begins with a sweaty prison crew on an empty country road, being watched over by a Boss-like figure wearing reflective sunglasses.
• In The Simpsons episode "Black Widower", Sideshow Bob is seen picking up garbage on the side of the road while a Boss-like figure watches (in a parody of the shot of the reflective sunglasses) and the movie's music is heard.

;Egg eating contest

• On the MTV series Jackass , Johnny Knoxville holds an egg eating contest in a homage to Cool Hand Luke s infamous scene. His contest, however, ends with all the contestants vomiting.
• In Reality Bites , Michael (Ben Stiller) compliments Troy (Ethan Hawke) for a line he says in Lelaina's movie ("No one can eat fifty eggs") as if it were by him, and Troy explains that it was a mere quotation from Cool Hand Luke .
• In the Malcolm in the Middle episode "Traffic Jam", (Season 2, episode 1), Francis is challenged to eat 100 "Quacks", (which are a reference to the marshmallow candy known as Peeps.), spoofing the bet that Luke can not eat 50 eggs.
• in the Game Fallout 3, one character sometimes says "Nobody can eat fifty eggs!" while trapped in a Portable Fallout Shelter named "The Box"
• Shortly after Newman's death on September 26, 2008, the satirical newspaper The Onion featured a photo headline that said "Paul Newman Dies After Consuming 51 Hard-Boiled Eggs."

;A night in the box / hole big enough?

• In The Simpsons episode "The PTA Disbands" the "that's a night in the box" line is spoofed by Jasper.
• The Reverend Horton Heat has a song/album entitled "Spend a Night in the Box" referencing punishments for various infractions in the prison camp.
• In the Seinfeld episode "The Little Jerry", George asks the women's prison warden if she had ever "put anybody in the box" before.
• The Duckman episode "You've Come a Wrong Way, Baby" includes a scene where the Tobacco CEO threatens that anyone who crosses him will spend a week in The Box. Duckman does, and is crammed in a tiny box about half the size of his body.
• In the Farscape series, John Crichton says, "hole big enough boss?" referring to the scene in which Luke digs a ditch for the bosses.
• The Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode Untamed Youth, a movie about a group of teenagers relegated to a cotton-picker job in lieu of jail time, features the riff "Anybody caught misbehaving will spend a night in the box-step".

;Plastic Jesus

• Rocky Votolato recorded a cover of "Plastic Jesus" on his album "A Brief History".
• The Flaming Lips do a cover of "Plastic Jesus" on their 1993 album Transmissions from the Satellite Heart .
• Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon do a cover of "Plastic Jesus" on their 1994 album Prairie Home Invasion .
• Jack Johnson has been known to cover "Plastic Jesus", including performances at Bonnaroo.

;Other music-related

• In the song "Rain on the Scarecrow" John Mellencamp sings "Hey calling it your job ol hoss sure dont make it right", paraphrasing what Luke says to the guard who puts him in the box.
• A live version of the theme song "Down Here on the Ground" is performed on George Benson's Weekend in L.A. (1977).
• The Australian band You Am I have a song called "Cool Hand Luke" on their 1993 Coprolalia EP.
• The second album by hip-hop artist Tone Loc was named Cool Hand Loc , referencing the film.
• The grunge band Paw includes references to the movie in the song "Dragline".

Notes

1. Florida Department of Corrections 1966-1969 timeline
2. Title Unavailable
3. Title Unavailable
4. http://www.textweek.com/movies/coolluke.htm has multiple references to religious themes appearing in
5. Strother Martin